Registration for the biggest spelling festival in South Africa, the 2026 Sanlam WOW Spelling Festival, opens on 16 February, and schools and learners from across the country are invited to participate. Registration and participation are completely free.
The Sanlam WOW Spelling Festival is a flagship project of Words Open Worlds (WOW), an empowerment initiative comprising language, culture, and numeracy projects at Stellenbosch University (SU).
The Sanlam WOW Spelling Festival is presented in eight provinces, and learners participate in four rounds in the following language categories:
- Afrikaans: Grade 1 to 10
- English: Grade 4 to 9
- isiXhosa: Grade 4 to 8
“Our motto for the Spelling Festival is ‘spell playfully’ (spel speel-speel en speel spel-spel). Thus, we help learners to communicate in an understandable, creative, and critical manner. When they have to stand up to spell words aloud or sound them out, and ask for a definition or sentence, it builds their self-confidence and self-assurance. The online spelling tests and language resources also help educators tremendously with preparation, and we work with words from the curriculum of the relevant grades,” says Fiona van Kerwel, WOW Manager.
Online resources
Language resources such as online spelling tests, explanatory sentence books, as well as preparation material for Spelling Festival coordinators, will also be available on the WOW website at wow.woordfees.co.za/en/ from 16 February. Confirmation regarding when word lists for each grade and language will be made available will follow soon.
Arrangements and information
Keep an eye on WOW’s website, social media platforms, and newsletter for important announcements regarding registrations, dates, venues, and word lists. Find useful notes in the digital pamphlet below.
Click here to read about the work WOW does to empower school communities.
